First Amendment Focus: April Ryan Set to Speak at Malcolm X Saturday April 14th

First Amendment Focus: April Ryan Set to Speak at Malcolm X Saturday April 14th

April Ryan

April Ryan has been a White House correspondent for the past 21 years and continues to fight for transparency from the Trump Administration. She shook her head at Sean Spicer when he refused to give a clear answer about Russia and at his insinuation that she was pushing her own agenda rather than reporting the facts. In an interview for The New York Times Magazine Ryan addressed the issue of individual agendas stating, “it’s not about journalists; it’s about the free-flowing information that the American public is supposed to get.” Agenda is irrelevant, give a straight answer Spicer!

Ryan’s adversarial relationship with the Trump Administration hasn’t lifted with Spicer’s exit. When she pushed Sarah Sanders for answers on Trump tweets Sanders fired at her, “I’m starting to regret calling on you first.” Yes, this was Ryan’s second question, but Sanders first answer on the North Korean nuclear concerns boiled down to ‘we’re working on it.’ It is important for White House correspondents like Ryan to continue challenging evasive responses and push for clarity. We have a right to know what’s going on in the White House beyond Trump’s shameful twitter feed.

The First Amendment provides freedom of the press and is something so important to Ryan that she continues to push for answers despite receiving multiple death threats for asking tough questions. She believes it’s this right to accountability that separates America from other countries where the press cannot push for transparency from their administration. Our own Zoë LeDuc explored the state of the First Amendment in a Trump Administration era in a prior FAN-Fair post. This is an issue Americans will likely be grappling with long after the Trump Administration and we are lucky to have White House Correspondents like April Ryan who won’t accept vague answers.

The IWPA is thrilled that April Ryan will be speaking here in Chicago this Saturday April 14th. She is set to speak at Malcolm X from 12-2PM to benefit One Hope United. One Hope United offers community-based family services, placement and residential care, and their early childhood development centers support over 2,100 children throughout Chicagoland. You can find tickets for this event here.

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Liz Herrera is an English Literature major at Northeastern Illinois University. She has contributed to campus publications The Independent and Seeds Literary Journal. She is a poet and blogger who is passionate about writing in all its various forms.